The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of carnation that is grown for use as a flowering plant for pots and containers. The new cultivar is known botanically as Dianthus×hybrida and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘DEVON ESTHER’.
‘DEVON ESTHER’ is a complex hybrid plant that is the product of a breeding program started by the inventor in 1980. The breeding program is ongoing, conducted in a cultivated area of Houndspool, Dawlish, Devon, United Kingdom. The primary focus of the breeding program is to produce new cultivars of carnations that exhibit unique growth habit. The inventor selected ‘DEVON ESTHER’ in 2001 for its unique pronounced compact habit accompanied by abundant soft magenta flowers that bloom from May through October.
‘DEVON ESTHER’ is a dwarf carnation exhibiting pronounced compact habit, grey-green foliage, and soft magenta flowers. The colors of stems, leaves, calyx, and epicalyx are of material retaining the characteristic waxy bloom of Dianthus. ‘DEVON ESTHER’ resulted from the open pollination between two unknown varieties of Dianthus. 
The variety of Dianthus which is considered by the inventor to most closely resemble ‘DEVON ESTHER’ is the inventor's variety Dianthus ‘Devon Winnie’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,893). When compared with these two varieties, the vigor of ‘DEVON ESTHER’ is greater than ‘Devon Winnie’. ‘DEVON ESTHER’ exhibits a softer and more purple flower than ‘Devon Winnie’. ‘DEVON ESTHER’ has a stronger perfume than the moderately perfumed ‘Devon Winnie’.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by the inventor in 2001 in a cultivated area of Houndspool, United Kingdom. The method of asexual propagation used was vegetative cuttings. Since that time the characteristics of the new cultivar have been determined stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.